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First Round

Upload and vote now. Top five films go through to the FINAL ROUND.

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Films of the month of: December

Judge

Andrea Arnold

Andrea Arnold is fast becoming a staple of British cinema. She's currently celebrating box office success with her adaptation of 'Wuthering Heights'.

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Winner

The Hive

by Ed Lilly

“At first this film seemed tough and then I realised it was not at all. It was actually very tender and made with love and I liked it very much for that.”
– Andrea Arnold

Shortlisted

The Man Who Stopped

by Carlo Ortu

“I loved the man Derek. I really liked the still shots of him. I understood his desire to be still. The film was funny but made me very sad.”
– Andrea Arnold

Shortlisted

The Cull

by Jonathan Harris

“A harsh world. Hard to watch sometimes which I always like. Amongst all this a beautiful boy with a lovely face, rising somehow above the pain.”
– Andrea Arnold

Films of the month of: November

Judge

Briony Hanson

New Director of the British Council Film is bringing her expertise to Film of the Month in November. This lady knows a good short when she sees it.

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Winner

“This is a cute, short, short - it's sharp, slick, funny and hugely original. I loved the way it started surreal and got surreal-er! It sets out its stall in the opening few seconds - bright colours, punchy soundtrack - and it keeps going at that pace throughout. It's a winner!”
– Briony Hanson

Shortlisted

Mr Graham

by Alexis Rodney

“This is an ambitious film - felt like it had the makings of a good feature let alone a short. Again excellent production values - this looked slick, had a good editor and clipped along well. It delivered a growing sense of unease really well and tackled a hugely difficult topic sensitively. Excellent lead performance - the guy has to unravel in front of us and did it incredibly convincingly. Constructive comment - I think you could have lost the voiceover and had just as much impact.”
– Briony Hanson

Shortlisted

Patience

by Robert Hackett

“This is a really thoughtful, poignant story about older people and how they stay true to form, some behave well, some don't. Production values are high - this looks great. If I could change anything I'd have lopped a minute or two out, and while the music was beautiful, it also threatened to overwhelm a little at times. You got two strong performances from the leads - nicely done.”
– Briony Hanson

Films of the month of: October

Judge

Miranda July

Director, writer and artist Miranda July (Me, You and Everyone We Know, The Future) is bringing her own brand of American indie cinema to Film of the Month this October. We welcome her with open arms.

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Winner

Splitscreen : A Love Story

by James W Griffiths

“Hooray! : I love that we get a sense of two protaganists and the building tension of a story, without every seeing the couple's faces (until the very end.) Also I am a sucker for things done simply and quickly with limited resources - it makes us feel like we could all be making better use of our phones. Feedback: I would have liked to have seen more variation, some suprises or details along the way that made the characters more specific -- what you choose to look at on a long journey says so much about you.”
– Miranda July

Shortlisted

The Queen's Monastery

by Emma Calder

“Hooray! : This is quite a little masterpiece. There is a super-talented artist behind these animations and it's a real joy to watch see all the flickering permutations of a single image as the frames replace themselves. Haunting, lovely use of space and scale. Feedback: I have to admit I was a little confused to see this was made more than a decade ago. I suppose there was no rule about this, and I'm certain you are still making work. It made me want to see your new stuff.”
– Miranda July

Shortlisted

Love Does Grow on Trees

by Bevan Walsh

“Hooray! : This looked great and I liked all the casting, especially of minor characters - like the two women with the baby carriage in front of the store. I loved the surreal, unexplained swirling porn, and especially the first little ripped piece of magazine - so eerie. Feedback: I always resist a tidy ending, and for me this verges on that. And I'm not sure I buy that boy's put porn away when they meet a real girl...”
– Miranda July

Films of the month of: September

Judge

Matt Groening

Matt Groening is a cartoonist, screenwriter and producer. He changed television forever when he created The Simpsons (the animated family first appeared as a series of short bumpers on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987). He also went on to create Futurama. This man is a quite simply a legend.

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Winner

Girls and Boys

by Clive Shaw

“Clive Shaw’s almost dialogue-free “Girls and Boys” plays like a funny and slightly disturbing dream. I love it when animation does this, cramming quick jokes and reveals in a short amount of time. The memorable music by Jude Cowan and Matt Armstrong support the weird goings-on, and make the cartoon great for multiple viewings. Well done!”
– Matt Groening

Shortlisted

Greetings

by Sam Morrison

“I was thoroughly entertained by the animated subtleties of Sam Morrison’s “Greetings”, about the hapless life of greeting-card writer Henry. The simple drawing style, combined with closely observed small details and clever transitions, made for a very engaging five minutes, and the open-ended finish made me want to see what’s going to happen next! Great narration by Michael Rosen, too.”
– Matt Groening

Shortlisted

Marvin

by Mark Nute

“Mark Nute’s “Marvin”, a delightful story of a kid who loses his common sense through a hole in his head, plays like a perverse children’s book, and with Steve Coogan’s deadpan narration, the surprises keep on coming. The animation perfectly services the clever story, and the music by Jeff Mercel, along with the imaginative sound design, make for a funny and odd cartoon. I’d love to see this with a theatrical audience.”
– Matt Groening

Films of the month of: August

Judge

Ed Vaizey

We asked Mr Vaizey, Minister for Culture in the UK, to join us because he's the man with a big hand in re-shaping the British film industry right now. We created a Ministry of Short Film just for him!

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Winner

The Cardboard Head

by Pedro Lino

“Gentle and beautiful animated Portuguese polemic on free expression.”
– Ed Vaizey

Shortlisted

The Maestro

by Ben Blaine

“Beethoven anticipates call centre culture 150 years early - an artist ahead of his time!”
– Ed Vaizey

Shortlisted

Candy Crime

by Ben Jacobson

“;A kick ass riff without the extreme violence.”
– Ed Vaizey

Films of the month of: July

Judge

John Waters

Waters' films have inspired cult followings, a musical and many other (dirty) things.

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Winner

One Other Thing

by Carlo Ortu

“The hell of romantic break up told with a cringe invoking but recognizable-to-all sense of humor. Revenge is always embarrassing in hindsight and this film proves that point in a precise, punching way.”
– John Waters

Shortlisted

Small Gifts

by Tim Leach

“A feel bad movie that will make some feel good.”
– John Waters

Shortlisted

Side by Side

by Jamie Hooper

“Childhood pain can be escaped through fantasy... told in a greeting card style that will delight some.”
– John Waters

Films of the month of: June

Judge

Morgan Spurlock

A long time patron of Shooting People, Morgan is back to judge Film of the Month. with a Documentary with the potential to over-shine the much loved Supersize Me.

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Winner

BEN AND JACKIE

by Jason Wingard

“I love movies that leave me wanting more, and this short made me want to spend more time with Ben and dive deeper into his world. It was poignant, sad, and funny – a great balance for a short film.”
– Morgan Spurlock

Shortlisted

Monsters

by NTGM Prod

“We’ve all had those dreams: someone takes over our life, our clothes, our friends. Or maybe its just me and this director. But I loved the way this film was shot, the jumpiness and facelessness of the “dream”, the collision of scenes and conversations, and its final resolve. We all loved our teddy, but maybe some of us did a little too much.”
– Morgan Spurlock

Shortlisted

Boat Dreams

by Sasha Andrews

“I want a boat so bad I can almost taste the sea water. This film spoke to me on so many levels – from a desire to leave the modern world in search of adventure, to reclaiming the lost pieces of our discarded past, to unending and never dying tenacity. In the characters in this film, I saw my filmmakers ... People who were fixing these boats, not because they wanted to, but because they HAD to.”
– Morgan Spurlock

Films of the month of: May

Judge

Lena Dunham

Creator of Tiny Furniture, which rocketed into the spot light at SXSW this year. A truly great example of Independent Filmmaking.

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Winner

Hobbies

by Chloe White

“A deceptively simple, moving portrait of parts of our lives we hardly explore even though they make us who we are. Beautifully made. Tells us so much that is so personal in such brief flashes. It's thrilling to peek at people's private fixations.”
– Lena Dunham

Shortlisted

W.O.W.1

by Oliver Hudson

“A funny, well-made farce that establishes a unique tone and characters with swiftness and economy.”
– Lena Dunham

Shortlisted

Spin Spun Span

by Anne Wilkins

“Evocative, feels handmade in just the right way. Very lovely.”
– Lena Dunham

Films of the month of: April

Judge

Nick Cave

We love it dark and gritty, and Nick Cave offers just that through his fantastic film scores The Assassination of Jesse James, The Road and brilliant writing The Proposition. We are forever thankful to his great talent and fabulous moustache.

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Winner

Behind the Light

by Liberty Smith

“Behind the Light, about the lighthouse keepers, sad and elegiac, spoke strongly of those who fall through the fault-lines of progress. I was very moved by this film and think it deserves to win Film of the Month.”
– Nick Cave

Shortlisted

Bistro

by Sean Gray

“This darkly comical film was nicely shot and the story potent and original.”
– Nick Cave

Shortlisted

Hearts and Flowers

by William Andrews

“Hearts and Flowers was genuinely frightening - the tangerine man was definitely the stuff of nightmares!”
– Nick Cave

Films of the month of: March

Judge

Paddy Considine

One of the best actors working in the UK today, Paddy has given remarkable performances A Room for Romeo Brass, Dead Man’s Shoes, My Summer of Love and is a great figurehead for British cinema. He’s also directed his first feature Tyrranasorous, which was Sundance sensation. We can’t wait to see it.

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Winner

Bats & Balls

by Jamie Jones

“Brilliantly shot. Really nice opening sequence. Story evolves neatly. The challenge is to achieve a decent narrative in this small time frame and BATS AND BALLS manages to do that.”
– Paddy Considine

Shortlisted

Big Society

by Nick Scott

“I was convinced this was real for the first few minutes. I think it's a great idea and could evolve into something more than a short. Darkly comic and worthy of more.”
– Paddy Considine

Shortlisted

Zenith House

by Thomas Stogdon

“Really well shot. Manages to keep you intrigued to the end. Well acted too.”
– Paddy Considine

Films of the month of: February

Judge

Penny Woolcock

This icon of British documentary filmmaking will be giving feedback in February.

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Winner

Sign Language

by Oscar Sharp

“All three films were beautifully shot and of a high standard. They were all perfectly formed, classic short films with a clear idea and a satisfying twist! But SIGN LANGUAGE by Oscar Sharp is my winner. Even though Ben seemed ridiculously erudite for a sign man I was convinced I was watching a documentary until the end and I had to watch it again to figure it out. It tread lightly and occupied a minimal space very beautifully. Excellent performance, well crafted and splendidly peculiar. Well done!”
– Penny Woolcock

Shortlisted

Password

by Pradeep Shahi

“PASSWORD by Pradeep Shahi was very accomplished. The older lady was very good and there was a clever twist. I found the flashbacks less satisfying.”
– Penny Woolcock

Shortlisted

Best Before

by Mark Boggis

“BEST BEFORE by Mark Boggis was a witty take on all that labelling. I think there was a darker film struggling to get out with the disposable girl which could have packed a bigger punch.”
– Penny Woolcock

Films of the month of: January

Judge

Edgar Wright

January's competition is dedicated to straight 8 and former entrant Edgar Wright will be judging.

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Winner

From Russia with Monsters

by cut & paste

“Amazing in camera effects and editing, clearly a lot of work went into doing this all in sequence, complicated stuff - hats off.”
– Edgar Wright

Shortlisted

Everyday Heroes

by Fiona Brownlie

“Great use of graphics and animation considering it's all in camera - lot of planning went into it and it shows, complicated stuff - hats off.”
– Edgar Wright

Shortlisted

Graveheart

by Nicholas Ray Rutter

“A lot of carnage packed into 3 or so minutes. Lot of fun, but what was in the hand at the end, a classic ambiguous end of cartridge denouement.”
– Edgar Wright